Experimental study on the water impact of a symmetrical wedge

In this paper, we report the results of our experimental investigation of the pressure distribution on a free-falling wedge upon entering water. Parameters such as the drop height, the deadrise angle and the mass of the wedge are related to the water pressure on the wedge and its dynamic behavior. Existing models that assumed a constant water-entry velocity of the wedge are compared with experimental data. In order to take into account the inherent variation in the velocity of a free-falling wedge, a combination of two models are proposed. This method gives an adequate approximation of the maximum pressures measured. (c) 2005 Published by The Japan Society of Fluid Mechanics and Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.